NZOMBIE - The Living Dead Page 10

  If it were a fresh wound, it seemed, he would treat her right not to infect, other care would be needed, but the Mirny station would have everything they could need even to do a little surgery. He cried out to unravel the gray ankle Nick Frost. He dropped back with his hand in the mouth so that it was not heard, but it was too late, Timochenco was a soldier, anything out of the ordinary called her attention.

  - It's okay, Nadja? - Vladimir looked back in time to see her hand in mouth.

  - Yes... Yes, it is... - Nadja yet still made a superhuman effort not to rush out, which prevented her was the fact that before his eyes was his Nick Frost and not anyone else, and after the discovery I had done moments earlier, expect her feelings, not abandon him. Overbalance and I felt the pain... - He returned to near the biologist who increasingly paled, to do something. The pilot-satisfied with the response received, and there was no reason to distrust.

  Nadja looked more closely at the open wound with three parallel lines, conjectured on what might have caused it and with utmost care, still using the scalpel, then scraped the blood still oozed slowly. Some brands were well clear of what could be, but only had confirmation when found a blackish bluish nail still stuck in the flesh of him and so deeply that needed to make an incision to extract it power. Nick Frost did not move for a second.

  Now more than ever needed the devices that were in his backpack, identified it with the supplies they had collected Timochenco, took in being able to get to it and was in a hurry. He opened one of the side compartments and took a microscope, took care to remain in full-time back to the pilot that issue was only between her and her patient. His hands were trembling and quietly cursed.

  What Hell, Nadja, control yourself! - Nervousness was such that almost dropped the sample on the floor, but it did not, sat down cross-legged and put the microscope on the flat base of the back that was in the bag, could now make a more thorough examination.

  The shake aircraft by wind gusts side did not help at all, I felt he could throw up at any time trying to keep the focus, but with little success. After ten minutes of observation and repeated attempts to justify his diagnosis the verdict was that Nick Frost, his dearly beloved Nick was dying parts, that flesh was dead, so the gray tone. I did not know how long he had before becoming a walker. He played the microscope to the side and got rid of the backpack, embraced her legs with both arms and wept silently. Life was not fair, I thought.

  - Nadja, in about two hours we will be arriving at Mirny Station! - I waited for her to answer, but heard the absolute silence. He did not repeat the statement, maybe she had fallen asleep and well I needed after so many tribulations.

  On the other side of the aircraft she did not regret any day of his life, but he felt guilty seeing his beloved dying have saved her from a fate worse than death itself. But the conformity of the facts was not inside, had thus not been established despite the adversities, however, always saw opportunities where others failed and there was no reason why the situation was different. I needed a Plan B for what was before his eyes, with some talent that had could try to save Nick Frost.

  The first thing to do was to isolate one form of injury that no one found out he was infected, it was apparently easy, had enough bandages and a little mercury or iodine above would remove that skin color, might work. Skillfully bandaged around the ankle and the foot to the knee repeatedly exaggerated the as found necessary and made an appearance of broken leg, was now only play some of the antiseptic solutions on the bandages and would be ready. Was proud of his creation, he felt like Mary Shelley while writing his masterpiece Frankenstein, about bringing life to the dead, but needed to be more relaxed so that no one suspected his feat, in any case, no one would take Nick Frost of their hands if he could help.

  Vladimir did not mind the delay of Nadja, I knew the Frost wounds could be very serious and expect the best result. He did not understand the work that scientists were doing, nor was interested in learning more, its function was exactly the one that was proposed and was achieving considerable success. Nadja settled quietly in the chair beside her, and a smile that seemed to be too forced, but due to the events was more than natural.

  - Get some rest, so we are close to Mirny station I notice! - Those words sounded almost like an order in his ears, in any case, it was great advice, was exhausted and let the exhaustion win for a few hours. I hoped not have nightmares, was already living large enough to be ignored.

  The helicopter of Tails Black scratched the sky at high speed toward the Mirny station below the icy lands were only white desolation everywhere you looked. Some mountains further south were the only difference in the landscape, yet the pilot, more than experienced on the continent kept his eyes on the instruments and the beautiful Nadja Romanov asleep beside her. Still a certification gesture looked back over his shoulder to get a better view of Nick Frost who was still unconscious under the thick canvas that covered.

  He did not understand how could such a catastrophe befall put that inhospitable place, but knew in advance that much of the blame was the unconscious passenger carrying. Around sunset, it was quite reasonable to assume that if there was someone who could have an answer to how to stop that apocalypse approaching undoubtedly was one scientist. He asked several times if there was any major kind of intimacy between him and Nadja, but decided not to want to know the answer.

  Nadja could be unreachable for him.

  The activity in question, not called her profession, never left spaces for other part of your life, not for lack of trying, but all eventually prove disastrous, consecutive absences, conflicts of interests and ideologies and little or no love involved, that it had been his life. Prized above all the friendship and loyalty of his men who were now mostly missing or killed brutally and inexplicably, the whole scenario seemed to be part of any final category of film.

  - "If there is a God, surely not condemn us to such a devastating event that could lead the human race on the brink of extinction, unless he had different plans for the planet..." - It was just a thought that made us constantly last days. Often he doubted the existence of a higher entity controlled the "stuff" of the universe, but life had shown him the two sides of existence, whether in times of war and its horrors or in absolute peace and the magic that enveloped in Any way it was to be assumed that there was a heaven and hell, counting from what was happening in the last days.

  - Do not worry Vladimir; if you die ... you have friends in both places! - She murmured softly, noting that the scientist at his side it is disturbed during sleep, perhaps because of his words.

  He checked his watch to estimate the arrival at station and mentally tallied about an hour, maybe even slightly less, if not find someone at the base would be in serious trouble, there would need to go to one of the continents and return to their home countries, or perhaps to the headquarters of NOMAD, which seemed to be the right thing. He turned on the radio board, try to listen to any type of transmission, but nothing got in the regular channels allowed to broadcast in the Antarctic Continent, changed the frequency to the emergency channel and waited. Nothing could be heard but static, some musical interference from nowhere passed through the speakers and then ceased. He remembered the military channel, but its use was subject to sanctions as a pilot if there was a good reason to use it and that seemed like a good reason.

  He turned the button several times until he was satisfied, amplified a little more frequency driver on the outside of the aircraft and finally managed to contact. Remained silent listening to the conversations transiting between various places, one of the transmissions was the Mirny station that promoted some reports about the evacuation that was in progress and expected to close in just over thirty minutes. Not arrive in time, it was worth making contact.

  - Control Mirny! Control Mirny! Alfa Romeo 217 requesting emergency landing! Exchange! - The radio was sending only a static sound in response.

  - Control Mirny! Control Mirny! Alfa Romeo 217 requesting emergency landing! Exchange! - Nothing coul
d be heard, or was too out of reach or ignored altogether.

  Australia

  The first densely populated continent to be hit by the toxic cloud that had formed in the drilling field was Oceania in 00h45min Zulu time. At first, it was believed to deal with some kind of Aurora Borealis effect nothing unusual at this time of year and if I have an interesting appearance, death rode on it in very broad hazing as if they were the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Hobart in Tasmania succumbed as if nothing had existed before that and the speed of events has not allowed that there was any kind of reaction.

  Soon after came the Australian continent, through Curie in King Island and finally contributing on land. Another dense cloud, but of lesser intensity was separated from the first and was blown toward New Zealand, it seemed, looked like a very well-designed and strategically led plan, but it was more likely that urban concentration centers human were the main reason. OS smaller coastal towns, did not report any incident during its passage, but did not leave a human survivor even that could alert others to flee and could take refuge in a safe place. The cities of Cape Otway, Glenaire and Wattle Hill on one side and Apollo Bay, Skenes Creek and Wongarra another, were killed.

  From that point it was only a matter of time until you reach the large capital Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney, or the immense deserts would be an impediment to the Frost element to complete your goal, the total annihilation of those who considered themselves until then Land lords.

  Long before reaching the destination once the panic was installed in large cities. Reports of thousands of deaths where the dense green cloud passed became recurring news in all communication systems, social networks passed in real time the devastation of images that messenger of death left behind him. A massive exodus began towards the center of the country, but that it would be useless, just do not know. Further study could reveal that the Frost element had a pattern of intelligent behavior; its main goal was to look for ways of life that could colonize and establish new patterns of evolution.

  Contrary to what was supposed to be not at all a biological agent of mass extinction, but a seed propagated life when he realized that his evolutionary pattern marring completely ecosystem. It had been like on early Earth and there was no evidence that does not perpetuate until the end of time. Other races had collapsed completely during the millions of years the Earth followed its evolution and as such, it was time of mankind pay for their mistakes, as well as other creatures in the past had done, maybe even other said races humanoids. There was no way to know for sure.

  The Pattern recognition that the virus used was simple enough, everything was based on genetic markers making no distinction that they were slow or fast among individuals. They were called in the scientific community Alfa markers, all humans possessed them in the genetic code and had been passed down from parents to children for eternity, but by no means all primates were benefited.

  The use of molecular markers allowed the selection and new crosses were performed in the same generation, which greatly increased the efficiency of a breeding program of the species, for this reason and above the other existing on the planet, humans were the only ones who protruded and occupied the top of the food chain.

  More likely it was that the latter were a kind of matrices that remained dormant for countless ages over time until they were activated in the correct sequence and give rise to other species.

  It was an efficient way to explain why many species of animals were still being the same for millions of years, they were not yet ready, however, the human race had been activated recently and it seemed, the experience was still ongoing, just do not know exactly who controlled it. Nadja in her academic thesis, had explored in depth this matter, for her, was a complete mystery how many species could go through millions of years, some several hundred without that there were significant changes in their metabolisms.

  Used to it some very specific examples, such as crocodiles, turtles and even cockroaches. There was something in the evolutionary process that did not match the other species and especially the human race, it seemed, while some remained lethargic, other overlapped including the nature. Humans were a good example, not known for sure when the first specimen appeared, could have been for sixty million years or so four or five, the case was that human dominion over other species and the environment itself in which he lived was his total domination. A temporal and evolutionary paradox.

  On the other hand, his rise had been meteoric in nature and now she took its price if the virus had enough intelligence to know that, no one was sure, but the mission was to extinguish all this humanoid species so that others could take their place at the food chain. But things do not always go as planned and even the nature at some point in charge to persevere and find the means to establish the ecological balance, in other words, always finds a reason to change the rules of the game.

  In this case, it would be different, it was only a matter of time before there was a spark of hope for humanity and that would certainly come in the most unusual way. Perhaps the most unlikely way.

  The general headquarters of NORAD - North American Aerospace Defense Command, at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado, monitored with the help of satellites advancing great deadly cloud over Oceania. It estimated that in just over seventy-two hours every continent was devastated and passed to be only a desert region ravaged by the living dead, or ZOMBIES as they came to call them at the suggestion of Urd Wessel, chief scientist of the Corporation NOMAD, contact with CCD, in the sense that this way they could both speak the "same language" when they referred to the problem that certainly would take global proportions very soon.

  The International Space Station ISS, monitoring the other cloud, much larger and thicker than had originated the mistaken nuclear explosion on field surveys and drilling of Vostok Station, a mistake that would cost dear to all who were in his way. The best predictions were that in less than twelve hours would reach the coast of Ushuaia Argentina in South America, while that would advance by Chile towards Central and North America.

  global alerts were even started that the information was not very accurate, for sure no one knew what they were dealing with and take a long time so they could come to get a reasonable answer on that caused those mutations that let humans transformed into irrational creatures but with greater resistance to the adversities of the planet. But it was useless if there was no control over the species and this was a task that seemed impossible, because even among the mutants, the clashes were regular and inevitable. Apparently, it was the beginning of the end in itself.

  - General, we do not have the solution to the problem and Frost do not even know where to start! - Robert Weis CCD attending a closed-door meeting at the Pentagon with the highest leaders of the United States of America. They were present in addition to the main commanders of the General Staff, the vice president and the state and defense secretaries. - Even with all known technologies at our disposal, we still cannot identify the nature of the virus... - distributed the files with the latest photos and reports that had about Frost accident.

  - Doctor! How was it possible not to have known that such a threat could become a reality with all kinds of technological controls that we have? - Vice President folhava the dossier occasionally reading some sentences and observing carefully the photographs of collected and dissected specimens.

  - I always knew that this could be a possibility and we believe it would never happen since the probability was very remote! - He looked at all the gifts were silent waiting for the continuation of the explanations. - It could have happened anywhere and at any time! We cannot condemn the Corporation NOMAD and even its discoverer, researcher Nick Frost, for his discovery! - Robert Weis rose to encircle a little room as he spoke, was a man of attitudes and not a bureaucrat.

  - This event, which may have happened in other eras... - He paused for a moment. - It could have begun with the fall of an independent meteor the size it had provided to bring inside the interventor agent. This
is how today we explain the origin of life on Earth and in a way, why not, the extinction of it too? - I was being reasonable with those people and the most didactic possible, aware that they were a different and demanding public. - And it's likely that this was its origin, moreover, and if it has happened in the remote past, was dormant for countless geological ages until it was again "on"! - He sat down to revise some notes.

  - So you're telling us that all the time we were on a time bomb about to explode? - Defense Secretary intervened.

  - Not only are we always on this "time bomb" as unceasingly seek every day of our lives in this particular case, we took the chance to meet her! - Almost smiled at the answer given, those arrogant military spent a lifetime trying to create better weapons to subdue their enemies, and he knew that if they had the opportunity not hesitate to turn the Frost discovered in a biological weapon of considerable proportions, but controlled , so that it did use at some future time. - Whenever drilled a new oil field, a coal mine or diamonds, or something similar, we risk we encounter something that we are not looking. He pulled a hand of one of the specimens were examined and placed inside a bell jar. Now I was on the table in full view of all present.

  The hand of bluish color and sharp nails had movements, although she was not attached to anybody or anything else that would allow you the stimuli, but to everyone's surprise, had life. - What are you seeing, it's just a sample of what has been studied so far and as you can see, does not need a body to keep "alive", but the fact is that it is "dead"! - Including himself as a scientist had difficulties to clarify how it could make a distinction between the concept of life and death the way they were used to know.

  - Continuing... - He left all to see closer to the specimen captive the bell jar. - The question Frost was just a misfortune! With the speed at which the ice millennial layers of the Polar Regions melt, it would be only a matter of time before the virus was released from Lake Vostok... - This time the intervention came from the General Staff.